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CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK <br /> we are talking about. We aren't talking about cosmetic issues. We are talking about basic human <br /> dignity and allowing people to live, essentially, a safe life. I think it is incumbent on all of us to <br /> care about how our neighbors are living and to work with, frankly, the good landlords out there <br /> who, perhaps, if people knew they were there they could rent from them. I have no qualms in <br /> putting the bad landlords out of business. We have mostly good landlords in town, but we have a <br /> handful of slumlords who are taking advantage of our community and renting properties for eight <br /> hundred dollars ($800) to $1,000 a month that have no heat, no water, holes in the foundation, <br /> holes in the roof and no electrical systems. These are basic things that need to be done. Frankly, if <br /> you can't afford to maintain the property with those basic needs, you shouldn't be in the business <br /> of renting property. I also have a lot of research data on this issue that I can supply that speaks to <br /> the negative effects of unstable housing to a community. <br /> Ms. Morgan continued, I've got one(1)more slide(referencing the presentation). So, since filing <br /> the bill, we've had the opportunity to meet with a lot of our community partners. We've <br /> incorporated their feedback into the bill and so, we do have the following changes. We looked at <br /> simplifying the minimum safety standards. So, for example we are changing the line that said all <br /> windows needing to be operable to one(1)window operable per habitable space. We are focusing <br /> on those hazards and really defining that so people know what to expect and that people are able <br /> to succeed in this program upon first(Pt) inspection. We did remove a certificate transfer fee. We <br /> added waiver eligibility for real estate sales transactions, if we are able to see an inspection has <br /> been done within a three (3) year window because those are very comprehensive and would <br /> certainly meet the minimum standards we are looking for. We did remove the requirement to post <br /> the rental occupancy certificate outside the property so that wouldn't tag the property as the one <br /> (1)rental on the street. We added the potential of self-inspection if a property has met the five(5) <br /> year certification protocol, as part of the monitoring process ongoing with this. We made a change <br /> to the multi-unit inspection. So, if a property has six (6) units, we would look at doing sampling <br /> of that rather than inspecting every unit, rather than having them meet the criteria of having ten <br /> (10)units. Our property owners asked us if the designated agent could be the tenant for the purpose <br /> of scheduling and attending inspections and that is totally fine with us. And we are also planning <br /> on doing a lot of community engagement and workshops moving forward with this program,again, <br /> with the intention that we really want people to understand and succeed with this program moving <br /> forward. <br /> Committee Chair Broden then opened the floor to questions and comments from Committee and <br /> Council Members. <br /> Committeemember John Voorde stated, At first (1St) brush of this, obviously the intent of this is <br /> commendable. But, I just wonder if the numbers are realistic. If you've got 16,000 rentals and <br /> you're going to do 3,200 a year, with three (3) inspectors, and the ones found in non-compliance <br /> will have to have a re-inspection, then you've got the office costs,just seems like it's a program <br /> that is well-intentioned but may expand into, I don't want to say bureaucracy,but something much <br /> more than is advertised. I suppose you can defend all these numbers and you wouldn't just throw <br /> them out there, but that is the first (Pt) thing that strikes me. Can this really be done effectively? <br /> And, if the numbers themselves appear to be cumbersome or not manageable, I'm still not <br /> convinced that a complaint-driven program wouldn't work well-enough. If you've got the <br /> associations that represent landlords and you've got neighborhood organizations promoting this, <br /> and you do an effective job communicating all these things that rental properties have to have, and <br /> you can monitor whether or not someone's rights are violated if they feel threatened or,in fact are, <br /> EXCELLENCE ACCOUNTABILITY INNOVATION INCLUSION EMPOWERMENT <br /> 455 County-City Building 227 W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601,p 574.235.9221 f 574.235.9173 I 10574.235.5567 www.southbendin.gov <br /> 8 <br />